I got taken out of work when I was 7 months pregnant and put on bed rest. During that time,Steve was able to find extra work and was working 2 jobs. But that only lasted long enough for him to pay off his car loan. I didn't have much money in the bank. Only enough for me to pay my debts for a couple of months before Steve had to take over. During that time,we made a lot of sacrifices.
- We dropped cable which saved us about $100 a month
- We had one less car payment which saved us about $350 a month
- We kept our thermostat at 65 during the winter which saved on our oil bill
- We turned off lights/electronics when we weren't in the room and unplugged everything before going to bed, which saved us at least half on our electric bill each month (only spending roughly between $40-60 a month).
- Steve worked overtime whenever it was available.
- We changed our cell phone bill and limited the amount of texts/minutes each month which saved us maybe $30-40 a month
- We budgeted our food bill to $100 a week and started shopping at discount stores and buying store brands instead of name brand.
- I created meal plans for the week and found recipes to stretch our food budget. At the time, I was using potatoes/beans/rice/pasta to stretch our meals instead of using expensive meat. I would cook 1 chicken breast to split between Steve and I and stretch that meal with veggies and ^carbs. And leftovers would be for lunch.
- When the holidays rolled around, I gave myself enough time to create homemade gifts because we really didn't have the extra money to buy gifts for both sides of the family. I created things like knitted scarves, sugar scrubs, sewed hot neck packs, flavored vodka, hot cocoa mixes, salt dough ornaments with owen's handprint, etc. And people were really impressed. This is the 3rd year for homemade gifts and everyone loves it, me included! As for Owen, 90% of his gifts are seconds/handmedowns. It saves me a ton of money and the hassle of all the plastic packaging.
- We expanded our garden and grew as much food as we could. It meant more work for us but cut down on our grocery bill.
- I made everything from scratch as often as I could: bread,cleaning products, soup mixes,etc.
- We used cloth diapers instead of disposable. Although is was about $250 up front (which was a lot to us at the time), after a few months we began to see the savings. Owen wore them from 4 months until 2.5yrs. That saved us at least $2,000.
- I breastfed Owen from birth until 2.5yrs. That saved us at least $3,000.
- We cut back significantly on outings/dates/restaurants,and created our own family fun at home.
- We sold things we no longer needed/used: clothing, baby equipment Owen outgrew, furniture, etc and used the money to help pay down our debt or add in to savings.
When Owen was a year old, I took on a job one day a week taking care of his great-grandmother. In the last year and a half I have been lucky enough to work 3-4 days a week. Earning a paycheck almost as much as I was bringing home working full-time. And the great thing is,is that I can take Owen to work with me and I can remain a stay at home mom. I am also able to pay my own bills again and also help with the grocery bill and bring home farm-fresh,pasture raised,grass-fed products. And Steve has been able to sock money away in savings for the next chapter in our lives.
We went from buying anything we wanted,going out to dinners once a week, new clothes every week, vacations, etc to living a lifestyle 360 degrees different. We became a lot more frugal and conscious about our money and not spending money we no longer had. It was a difficult transition but when it came down to it, our son being home and being raised by his own parents was what mattered most to us. The sacrifices were without a doubt,150% worth it. You can't put a price tag on being present and witnessing all of your child's "firsts" and know that they are completely safe and healthy in your own hands.
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